United Farm Workers Co-Founder Dolores Huerta Dies at 96

Dolores Huerta, the legendary labor leader and civil rights activist who helped transform the lives of American farmworkers and became one of the nation’s most influential voices for social justice, has died at 96.

Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers with César Chávez, was honored throughout California for her decades of activism, including in Los Angeles County, where supervisors moved to recognize her 95th birthday in April 2025 by proclaiming Dolores Huerta Day.

Huerta’s influence extended throughout the Pasadena area, where she received the Legacy Lifetime Commitment Award at the YWCA San Gabriel Valley’s 90th Anniversary Legacy Gala at the Hilton San Gabriel in August 2025. 

She was also named the organization’s 2026 YWCA Empowerment Award honoree, with events centered around South Pasadena and online initiatives aimed at ending cycles of violence. 

Her legacy continues to inspire local students through the Pasadena Sí Se Puede Essay Contest, which brings together community partners, including the Pasadena Media Foundation and Pasadena Unified School District, to celebrate her historic rallying cry, “Sí Se Puede” (“Yes, We Can”), coined in 1972, with annual essay awards and recognition during the Latin Grad Celebration.

“We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, has passed away today at the age of 96,” her family announced on social media.

“As you can imagine, this is an incredibly difficult time for us, and we ask for privacy as we grieve this incredible loss to our family,” the statement continued.

A family spokesman told The New York Times that Huerta died of cancer.

Born Dolores Clara Fernández on April 10, 1930, in Dawson, New Mexico, Huerta moved to Stockton, California, with her mother when she was 3.

Her experiences witnessing discrimination against Mexican Americans helped shape a lifetime devoted to civil rights, labor organizing and political empowerment.

After briefly working as a teacher in the 1950s, Huerta turned to activism after encountering children who came to school hungry because their farmworker parents struggled to earn a living.

In 1955, she founded the Stockton chapter of the Community Service Organization, which organized voter registration drives and advocated for economic opportunities for Latino communities.

She met Chávez through a fellow activist, and in 1962, the two established the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers.

Earlier this year, Huerta publicly revealed that she had been sexually abused by César Chávez, her longtime organizing partner and co-founder of the United Farm Workers. 

Huerta said Chávez pressured her into one sexual encounter and forced her into another during the 1960s, resulting in two pregnancies. 

She said she remained silent for approximately six decades because she feared the allegations would damage the farmworker movement they had built together. 

Her disclosure came as two other women, Ana Murguia and Debra Rojas, accused Chávez of sexually abusing them when they were minors during the 1970s. 

The allegations prompted the United Farm Workers to withdraw from César Chávez Day commemorations and acknowledge the seriousness of the accusations against its co-founder. Chávez, who died in 1993, was never tried on the allegations. 

As a union leader, Huerta negotiated labor contracts, organized consumer boycotts and fought for improved wages, health benefits and protections against dangerous pesticides.

Her organizing efforts helped build support for the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, landmark legislation that established collective bargaining rights for agricultural workers.

Huerta served as vice president of the United Farm Workers until 1999.

Her influence extended far beyond the agricultural fields of California. She became a prominent advocate for women’s rights, immigration reform, voter participation and greater political representation for Latinos.

Her contributions earned numerous honors, including the Presidential Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993.

In April 2025, Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis introduced a motion recognizing Huerta’s 95th birthday and her contributions to generations of activists.

“As founder and president of the Dolores Huerta Foundation, she travels across the country fighting for equity and civil rights,” Solis wrote in the motion.

“Her contributions to California and Latinos across the country have inspired generations of leaders fighting for justice for all workers.”

The county had previously proclaimed April 10 Dolores Huerta Day in 2024.

Through the Dolores Huerta Foundation, she continued advocating for economic justice, education and civic engagement well into her 90s.

Her death marks the loss of one of the last towering figures of the farmworker movement that reshaped California politics and labor rights during the 1960s and 1970s.

Huerta leaves behind a legacy of organizing that helped bring farmworkers from the margins of American society into the national conversation about civil rights and economic justice.